NETWORK /
38
/ FEBRUARY 2020
T
his is a critical time for UK
renewable energy and oppor-
tunity abounds as decar-
bonisation, decentralisation
and digitalisation are driving
significant change across the
electricity network. The Com
-
mittee on Climate Change envisages that
the UK can decarbonise up to 95% of power
generation through the continued rollout
of low-carbon generation, using the policy
instruments and principles set up under the
UK's Electricity Market Reform programme.
However, a big open question as we pro-
gress towards net-zero is, how much energy
storage will be required to ensure that we
have a secure, stable, flexible and decarbon-
ised energy sector?
The
Net-Zero Report produced by the
Committee on Climate Change suggests
getting to over 80% wind and solar power
is likely to require a ten-fold expansion,
from 3GW of storage today to over 30GW in
the coming decades. National Grid's Future
ENERGY STORAGE
What's the future for UK
energy storage?
As the UK continues its transition to net-zero by 2050, what role can
energy storage play in decarbonising the energy sector? Vijay Shinde,
chief technical officer at Harmony Energy, examines the possibilities
